In February 1926, First National Pictures released its 10-reel silent epic “The Lost World.” Adapted from the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Harry O. Hoyt, it told of an expedition to a remote Amazonian plateau led by the hot-tempered Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery). On the plateau, the team of explorers discover … Continue reading The Ballyhoo of The Lost World
The Mathematics of Hanging Miniatures
Since the earliest days of cinema, movie producers have used many ingenious techniques to deliver maximum spectacle for minimal cost – especially when creating fabulous settings that couldn’t possibly be built for real. One of these techniques is the hanging miniature. A hanging miniature – also known as a foreground miniature or front miniature – … Continue reading The Mathematics of Hanging Miniatures
Nightfighter Special Effects of 1946
Back in the 1940s, British studios were busy producing all manner of films featuring wartime aerial combat. Many of these were propaganda pieces, while others were more conventional melodramas. The 1946 movie “School for Secrets” — also known as “Secret Flight” — was a bit of both. Written and directed by Peter Ustinov, the film … Continue reading Nightfighter Special Effects of 1946
Moving Mountains for Sergeant York
In the 1941 film “Sergeant York,” directed by Howard Hawks, Gary Cooper played the role of Sergeant Alvin C. York, a US Army soldier who won the Medal of Honor – the US Army’s highest military decoration – for acts of valour in World War I. Cooper’s performance earned him the Oscar for Best Actor … Continue reading Moving Mountains for Sergeant York
Welcome to 2024
Happy New Year! I'm starting 2024 with a full desk and a busy slate. Top of the list is my current work-in-progress. What can I tell you about it? Well, it's a new novel, completely unrelated to anything else I've written, and I'm about halfway through the first draft. Apart from that, sorry, my lips … Continue reading Welcome to 2024
Animation Time Machine Visits January 1924
Celebrate the New Year with the latest news from the world of animation ... from a century in the past! Visit the Animation Magazine website now to read my latest Animation Time Machine column. Here's an extract to whet your appetite: The Animation Time Machine sped across the Atlantic to Europe, where it discovered a … Continue reading Animation Time Machine Visits January 1924
Miniature Effects Unleash Deluge on New York in 1933
If you’re looking for an early example of spectacular disaster movie effects, look no further than “Deluge.” Released in 1933, this apocalyptic RKO feature trashed New York City with a double whammy of earthquake and tsunami. In an article from the August 1933 edition of “International Photographer,” special effects director Ned Mann explains how he … Continue reading Miniature Effects Unleash Deluge on New York in 1933
Animation Time Machine Visits December 1923
Want to read the news from the world of animation ... from 100 years ago? Visit the Animation Magazine website and read my latest Animation Time Machine column! Here's an extract to whet your appetite, with all the headlines from December 1923: It’s fair to assume that, through the final months of 1923, Walt and … Continue reading Animation Time Machine Visits December 1923
If Only They’d Had Digital Horses in 1940
We live in an era when movie studios would have you believe that all the big stunts you see on screen were achieved practically on set. No CG! No VFX! It was all real! It’s nonsense, but I’m not going to argue the point here. However, I do want to illuminate it, by transporting you … Continue reading If Only They’d Had Digital Horses in 1940
Trick Photography Delivered Fake News of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
In the final years of the 19th century, audiences first discovered the thrill of seeing the latest news stories presented in the form of moving pictures. All they had to do was visit a Kinetoscope parlour and peep through the eyepiece of a state-of-the-art viewing machine. By 1905, the commercial deployment of movie projectors meant … Continue reading Trick Photography Delivered Fake News of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Graham Edwards 